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Dr. Stengler: Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Stengler from the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. Today I want to talk to you about the association between diabetes and weight.
Most people are aware that being overweight increases your risk of diabetes — but for the majority of people who have diabetes today, that is the primary cause. So if you don't lose weight, you're not going to get good control of your diabetes. We know that excess weight increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, circulation problems, brain problems such as cognitive decline and dementia, increased risk of certain types of cancers, and the list goes on. So we have to get that blood sugar under control.
Many of you are on medications to help lower your blood sugar. If we can help you lose weight, your need for those medications will decrease — and in some cases you won't need medication at all. The more overweight you are, the more dramatic the results you'll typically get from losing weight.
About 80 to 90 percent of weight loss comes from diet. Exercise is very important — it can help with weight, metabolism, how you feel, and disease prevention. But in terms of losing significant weight, it really starts with diet.
We use different diets with our patients depending on what their testing shows. Some patients do very well on a ketogenic diet — a diet based on very low carbohydrates, low to moderate protein, and good amounts of healthy fat. For a lot of people, they'll feel full, their blood sugar will come down, and they'll lose weight. That may need to be adjusted depending on how they're doing.
Another option is the paleo — or paleolithic — diet. It's somewhat similar, but not as high in fat. It's higher in protein, high in vegetables, and reduced in carbohydrates.
A diet that has been well studied for the prevention of diabetes is the Mediterranean diet, which can greatly reduce your risk. If you don't currently have diabetes but it runs in your family, it's a good diet to follow — with one modification: you still need to decrease the amount of grains in your diet. The modern grains in the American diet really spike blood sugar levels. For example, did you know that one or two slices of whole wheat bread will spike your blood sugar and insulin levels more than soda? This is well documented — you can look up the Glycemic Index ratings on Harvard's website. So you have to cut down on breads, crackers, and pastas. In the American diet, they act like simple sugar.
A diet that effectively reduces weight will also help your insulin work better in your body and bring your blood sugar levels down. That's what we focus on with patients as the primary treatment for diabetes.
For cutting-edge information on natural and holistic treatments on a wide variety of healthcare topics and to get my newsletter, visit HealthRevelations.com. And if you want information on my private clinic, go to MarkStengler.com.
Most people are aware that if you're overweight you're at increased risk of diabetes. But for the majority of people who have diabetes today, being overweight is your primary cause. So if you don't lose weight you're not going to get control of your diabetes. Diabetes increases your risk of cardiovascular disease, circulation problems, brain problems such as cognitive function, dementia, increased risk of certain types of cancers and the list goes on and on. In this video, Dr. Mark Stengler discusses the natural way to loose weight and fight Diabetes!
Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Stengler from the Stengler Center for Integrative Medicine. Today I want to talk to you about the association between diabetes and weight. Now obviously most people are aware that if you're overweight you're at increased risk of diabetes but for the majority of people who have diabetes today that is your primary cause. So if you don't lose weight you're not going to get good control of your diabetes. We know it increases your risk of cardiovascular disease , circulation problems, brain problems such as cognitive function, dementia, increased risk of certain types of cancers and the list goes on and on. So we've got to get that blood sugar under control. Many of you are on medications to help lower your blood sugar. If we could help you lose weight your need for those medications would decrease. And in some cases you don't need medication at all. The more overweight you are the more dramatic the results usually you'll get by losing weight. You know about 80 percent, up to 90 percent of weight loss comes from diet. Exercise is very important. It can help with weight it can help with metabolism it can help you feel good prevent diseases. But in terms of losing significant weight it really starts with diet. And so we use different diets with our patients depending on what their testing shows. Some patients do very well on a Ketogenic diet. That's a diet that's based on very low carbohydrate, low to moderate protein although a little bit more on the lower side, and good amounts of good fat in the diet. And for a lot of people they'll feel full their blood sugar will come down and they'll lose weight. Some people that needs to be adjusted depending on how they're doing. Another diet is the Paleo diet or the Paleolithic diet. And it's somewhat similar it's not as high fat, certainly high protein, high in vegetables, and reduced carbs certainly low carbs. A diet that been well studied in terms of the prevention of diabetes is the Mediterranean diet that can greatly reduce your risk of diabetes. If you're someone out there right now who doesn't have diabetes or runs in the family it's a good diet to follow. With one modification, you normally still have to decrease the amount of grains in your diet. The modern grains we have in the American diet really spiked blood sugar levels. Just as an example. Did you know that whole wheat bread one or two slices will spike your blood sugar levels, your insulin levels more than soda pop. This has been a well study you can look on Harvard's Website at the Glycemic Index rating. And so you got to cut down on those breads and crackers and pastas in the American diet they're like simple sugar. And so a very effective diet that helps to reduce weight will help your insulin to work better in your body and your blood sugar levels can drop. And so that's what we focus on with patients as their primary treatment for helping them with their diabetes. For a complete list of treatments offered and conditions addressed at the Stengler Center for Integrated Medicine. Please visit our website. Call or e-mail the clinic with any questions you may have.
